Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day.
It’s no secret that we here at Missed Fists headquarters love a tryer. We don’t care if you’re 0-2, 0-5, or 0-20, if you have the guts to get back in there and be the man or woman in the arena, then you deserve nothing but the greatest respect.
Because if you keep making that walk, one day it’s
going to be your day, and there’s nothing sweeter than that. And if that first win comes via planting your chest on another man’s face until they can’t breathe, well… all the sweeter.
(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs, and to @Grabaka_Hitman for uploading many of the clips you see here. Give them a follow and chip in on Patreon if you can.)
Deontre Butts vs. Antonio Zepeda
Heavyweight Deontre Butts (of course, he’s a heavyweight) hadn’t had much luck as a pro in combat sports, not only losing his first three MMA bouts prior to Anthony Pettis FC event, but also failing to see his hand raised in boxing and kickboxing. He actually scored a handful of victories during an eight-year amateur career, but has seen zilch in the W column since 2023.
That all changed when Butts faced the debuting Antonio Zepeda. After landing a sweet slam, Butts quickly advanced to full mount and broke Zepeda down with heavy elbows. Then, he sent the crowd into a frenzy with a picturesque (?) smother choke that forced Zepeda to tap less than 90 seconds into Round 1.
Who says heavyweight MMA is dead?
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a smother choke, at least in an actual fight. It is currently being used as former pro fighter Marina Shafir’s finishing move in AEW, though she calls it “Mother’s Milk,” another well-known name for the unorthodox hold.
Wow, if I had a nickel for every time I had to write about Marina Shafir recently, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
You can watch Butts’ moment of triumph and more at Anthony Pettis FC 22 on UFC Fight Pass.
Matheus Alves vs. Juan Pablo Leon
Our runner-up for best highlight also comes to us from the land of Fight Pass, with the sinister Matheus Alves scoring a one-punch knockout at Shooto Brasil 135.
After eating a few good shots, Alves grinned devilishly at opponent Juan Pablo Leon and then just stepped forward and annihilated him. Maybe the most disdainful knockout of the year so far.
Akbarh Arreola vs. Roman Cordova
Over at Ultimate Warrior Challenge 57 (also available on UFC Fight Pass), we saw Akbarh Arreola take on Roman Cordova. These two gentlemen have a combined 80 fights between them, so they’ve probably seen everything, but this might have been a new one.
The wild finishing sequence saw Arreola have a kick caught, jump the gilly, and then somehow transition into an omoplata. Suddenly, the action stopped due to Arreola apparently thinking Cordova tapped or offered a verbal submission, but Cordova denied it. We then got a hilariously timed line from the commentary team, saying Cordova would never tap.
They reset the action and literally seconds later, Arreola gets Cordova to tap to an armbar. This was also Cordova’s 14th loss by submission, making the “never tap” comment 10 times funnier.
Ricardo de Almeida vs. Santiago Chamorro
Debora Ellen vs. Emily Lima
“I’m fine. I’m fine.”
WHOMP
Ricardo de Almeida was putting it on Santiago Chamorro, blitzing him against the cage and seemingly dodging every counter like he was in The Matrix. The bout appeared to be over when de Almeida hit a Stanky Leg-inducing left hand, but Chamorro sprang up, prompting the ref to back off.
That was the definition of a last gasp as de Almeida immediately landed an unprotected head kick to put a stamp on his performance.
In women’s MMA action, Debora Ellen—not to be confused with stage and screen legend Debbie Allen, which I’m sure you all were—shredded her opponent’s insides with some savage body work.
Let’s see an award-winning choreographer do that!
You can watch Acesso MMA 12 for free on YouTube.
Luis Fernando vs. Almir Lima
At an Oca Fight Combat event in Rondonia, Brazil, we saw the downside of fighter persistence as Almir Lima was getting lit up in his fight with Luis Fernando.
Undeterred, Lima bravely pressed onward… and was utterly disintegrated by a knee to the jaw. That hit was so clean, Fernando just looked relieved that the fight was over.
Hae-Wan Chung vs. Geon-Hui Cha
This finish made me chuckle a little.
From DOMVS 6 in Seoul, South Korea, Hae-Wan Chung takes to the skies.
I don’t know what it is, that jump kicked just looked so dainty to me. The results, not so dainty.
Zelim Umarov vs. Adel Ain Zerga
We had another gilly jumper at Hexagone MMA 42 in Saint-Herblain, France, where Zelim Umarov wanted to take Adel Ain Zerga’s head home and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Umarov goes for the guillotine, glues his arms to Ain Zerga’s neck, transitions to a ninja choke, and doesn’t let go until he hears snoring.
Ali Khorshidi vs. Samandar Kurbanaliev
Ryan Lilley vs. Rob Gooch
I want to close out with a contrast of finishes here, with Ali Khorshidi at a Jue Cheng King event, and Ryan Lilley at an Up Next Fighting event.
Khorshidi floored Samandar Kurbanaliev with a high kick and then landed what I consider to be an ethical hammerfist to seal the deal.
Now, let’s see what Lilley did to Rob Gooch.
That was… odd.
Lilley floored Gooch with a clubbing right, then stood over him, seeming to assess the situation before proceeding. Despite Gooch clearly being out, Lilley threw a couple of follow-up punches anyway, but it was like a quick 1-2 taparoo? I’m certain those shots hurt worse than they look, but if Khorshidi had any malicious intent, wouldn’t he have thrown with more force? Or maybe he was going for precision over power?
Just a little boop boop to close the show.
If you know of a recent fight or event that you think may have been overlooked, or a promotion that could use some attention, please let us know on X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.
